Planning guidance only. Probate fees, inheritance-tax thresholds and HMRC's forms change. Check the current position at gov.uk/applying-for-probate before you send anything. This page covers England and Wales. Scotland (confirmation, form C1) and Northern Ireland work differently. Complex estates — foreign assets, trusts, business interests or a disputed will — are worth professional advice.
This is the file the rest of the page explains. It is a blank. You print it, fill it in yourself, and tick each document off as you find it. Nothing on it is filled in for you. A printable file, not just a page to read.
Working for a hospice, charity, council or carers' service? You're welcome to link the checklist, print it, or put it in a bereavement pack — free, no permission needed, nothing expected in return. See everything that's free
If you are also the named executor, Executor's First Hour (£179, one-off) gives you the same order for the whole role, not just this list. See Executor's First Hour →
This is the whole list. Fourteen documents cover every route. Most estates need six of them. The rest apply only in the situation named against them.
Who issues it, and what it is for.
| Document | Who issues it | How to get it | Needed for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original will (and any codicils) | The person who died | Home, their solicitor, their bank, or a National Will Register search (£65.00 inc VAT standard, 48 hours; £140.00 combined, 28 days) | Sent with PA1P. The registry keeps it and it becomes a public record | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Death certificate (certified copies) | Register office, or GRO | Ordered at registration or later; £12.50 each, £38.50 for the priority service | Every bank, insurer and pension scheme. Not the registry itself | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Probate application PA1P | HMCTS | Online at probate.service.gov.uk, or the paper form | Applying where there is a will | GOV.UK ↗29 Dec 2025 |
| Probate application PA1A | HMCTS | Same service, different form | Applying where there is no will | GOV.UK ↗27 Feb 2025 |
| The five estate values | You, from the valuations | Gross and net for IHT, net qualifying for IHT, gross and net for probate | Typed into the application itself | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Valuation evidence | Surveyor, banks, registrars, agents | Written figures as at the date of death — see section five | Supporting the five values; HMRC may ask | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| IHT400 and its schedules | HM Revenue & Customs | Only if the estate is not excepted | Sent to HMRC before the probate application | GOV.UK ↗4 Aug 2026 |
| HMRC's unique code letter | HM Revenue & Customs | Arrives up to 20 working days after IHT400 is submitted | Entered on the probate application. Replaced the stamped IHT421 on 17 January 2024 | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Proof of your identity | You | As the application asks | Confirming the applicant | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| The fee | You | £526 where the estate is over £5,000; nothing at £5,000 or less | Paid with the application | Statute ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| PA13 — report a will is lost | HMCTS | Download from gov.uk | Applying when the original will cannot be found | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| PA15 — give up executor rights | HMCTS | Download from gov.uk | An executor who does not want to act renouncing | GOV.UK ↗10 Dec 2024 |
| PA12 / PA16 — no will, not applying yourself | HMCTS | Download from gov.uk | PA12 lets up to 4 people apply on the entitled person's behalf; PA16 gives up the right entirely | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| IHT207 | HM Revenue & Customs | Download from gov.uk | The one excepted route still filing a separate HMRC form: the person lived permanently outside the UK and their UK assets were £150,000 or less. Scotland: C5(OUK) with the C1 | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
Most estates need rows one to six and row ten. Rows eleven to fourteen exist for one situation each.
The registry wants the original will, not a copy. GOV.UK is explicit about it. What you send depends on which of six situations you are in.
Six situations, one form each.
| Situation | What to send | Form | What to watch | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You have the original will and are named executor | The original will and any codicils | PA1P | Keep your own copy first. The registry keeps the original and it becomes a public record | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| You only have a photocopy | The original, once found | PA1P | A photocopy cannot be used. Ask the solicitor, the bank and the executor named in it before concluding it is lost | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| The original will is lost | Your application plus a report that the will is lost | PA13 | Expect to be asked what searches you made. A National Will Register search is the usual first step | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| There is more than one will | The most recent one | PA1P | Do not destroy copies of the earlier wills until probate is granted | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| You are named but do not want to act | A renunciation | PA15 | Up to 4 executors can be named on one application. One stepping back does not stop the others | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| There is no will at all | An application by the person most entitled — usually the spouse or civil partner, then children aged 18 or over | PA1A, with PA12 or PA16 where needed | PA12 lets up to 4 people apply on the entitled person's behalf. PA16 gives up the right | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
You cannot apply until the estate has been valued. GOV.UK puts it plainly: you must have estimated the value of the estate, and worked out whether there is inheritance tax to pay, before you can apply. Ten asset classes cover almost every estate. Every figure is taken at the date of death.
Ten asset classes.
| Asset | What counts as a valuation | Who provides it | Watch for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The home | A probate valuation at the date of death | A chartered surveyor. Estate-agent valuations are not always accepted by HMRC for inheritance tax | A sale later at a different price can change the tax position | Our est. ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Jointly owned property | The share's value at the date of death | Surveyor, plus the ownership check | Joint tenants pass by survivorship, tenants in common do not. It still counts for inheritance tax | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Bank and savings accounts | Closing balance at the date of death, plus interest to that date | Each bank's bereavement team, in writing | Each bank has its own release threshold before a grant is needed. Ask | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Shares and investments | The closing price on the date of death | The registrar, broker or platform | Dividends declared but unpaid still count | Our est. ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Premium Bonds and NS&I | Written confirmation of holdings at death | NS&I | Prizes can still be drawn for 12 months after death | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Pensions and death benefits | A written statement of what is payable and to whom | Each scheme, contacted separately | Tell Us Once does not reach pension schemes. From April 2027 unused pension funds may fall into the estate for inheritance tax | Our est. ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Life policies | The sum payable on death | The insurer | A policy written in trust pays direct to the beneficiary and is not part of the estate | Our est. ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Personal belongings | An honest estimate for ordinary household effects; a specialist valuation for anything of real value | You, or a valuer | Jewellery, art, vehicles and collections need a proper figure | Our est. ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Business or partnership interests | Accounts and a valuation basis | The accountant | Business property relief may apply. Its presence can force a full IHT account | Our est. ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Foreign assets | Value in sterling at the date of death | The overseas institution | Foreign assets over £100,000 force full inheritance-tax details | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
Sources: gov.uk/valuing-estate-of-someone-who-died and gov.uk/applying-for-probate/before-you-apply, checked 11 September 2026; valuation practice per our own /executors-companion.
The application itself asks for five figures. Gross estate value for inheritance tax. Net estate value for inheritance tax. Net qualifying estate value for inheritance tax. Gross value for probate. Net value for probate. Write all five on the checklist before you open the form.
Source: gov.uk/applying-for-probate/before-you-apply, checked 11 September 2026.
The compulsory cost is small and fixed. The fee is £526 where the estate is over £5,000, and nothing at or below it. Everything else on this table is optional or situational.
When each applies.
| What | Fee | When it applies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Probate application | £526 | Estates over £5,000 | Statute ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Small estates | No fee | “There's no fee if the estate is £5,000 or less” | Statute ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| The law behind the fee | — | Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026, SI 2026/642 art.3(2)(a), in force 13 July 2026 | Statute ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Sealed copies, ordered with the application | £2 each | One per institution that will want to see it | Statute ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Sealed copies ordered later | £16 each | Any request after the application has been submitted | Statute ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Second application | £22 | For example where power was reserved to another executor. Payable even if the estate is £5,000 or less | Statute ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Help with fees | — | Apply online or on form EX160 before applying. Pay the full fee online now and it is refunded later if the application succeeds | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| Death certificate, certified copy | £12.50 | Each copy. England and Wales | GOV.UK11 Sept 2026 |
| Death certificate, priority service | £38.50 | Next working day if ordered by 4pm. Standard is 4 days, or 15 working days without a GRO index reference | GOV.UK11 Sept 2026 |
| Creditor notice in The Gazette (s.27 Trustee Act 1925) | £115.86 inc VAT | Optional, but it is what protects an executor personally against unknown creditors | GOV.UK ↗8 Sept 2026 |
| Land Registry title register or plan | £7 online, £11 per document by post | Where there is property and you need to confirm how it was held | Statute11 Sept 2026 |
Six items.
| Item | How many | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original will | One — you have no choice | The registry keeps it. Photocopy it for your own file before you send it | Our est.11 Sept 2026 |
| Certified death certificates | One for every institution on your list, plus two | Banks, insurers and pension schemes each want to see one, and they do not share. Each copy is £12.50 | Our est.11 Sept 2026 |
| Sealed copies of the grant | One per institution holding an asset | £2 each ordered with the application, £16 each afterwards. Ordering enough at the start is the cheaper mistake to avoid | Our est.11 Sept 2026 |
| Valuation letters | Keep the originals; send copies | HMRC can ask to see the basis of any figure | Our est.11 Sept 2026 |
| IHT400 and schedules | Keep a full copy | You will be answering questions about it for months | Our est.11 Sept 2026 |
| The completed checklist | One, kept with the file | It becomes the index to everything else | Our est.11 Sept 2026 |
Fees as above · a full cost estimate for this estate
Roughly a third of probate applications are stopped at least once. HMCTS measured 34% — 32% of digital applications and 38% of paper ones. Applications made without a professional are stopped far more often than represented ones: 46% against 26%. Around a quarter of stopped applications are stopped for reasons relating to inheritance tax.
Source: Probate — HMCTS Reform Evaluation, Data Summary, published 24 March 2026.
What each measure actually measures.
| Measure | Figure | What it actually measures | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOV.UK's published expectation | 12 weeks | What GOV.UK tells applicants to expect: “You'll usually get probate within 12 weeks of submitting your application” | GOV.UK ↗11 Sept 2026 |
| HMCTS average, digital applications | 4.3 weeks | Measured average, data to end-May 2026 | Market20 Aug 2026 |
| HMCTS average, paper applications | about 16 weeks | The same measure, paper channel | Market20 Aug 2026 |
| Family Court Statistics Quarterly | 5 weeks mean, 1 week median | All grants issued, January to March 2026. The gap between mean and median is the stopped cases pulling the average up | GOV.UK26 Jun 2026 |
| Stopped against not stopped | 14 weeks against 2 weeks | The real cost of an application being stopped once | GOV.UK26 Jun 2026 |
The four measures reconciled, with the full working → probate wait times
The registry needs the original. A copy comes straight back to you.
Around a quarter of stops relate to inheritance tax. Where IHT400 was needed, the application cannot proceed until HMRC's unique code arrives — up to 20 working days after submission.
The five figures on the application must match the valuations behind them. A rounded guess is what gets queried.
Where there is no will, only the person most entitled can apply. Anyone else needs PA12 or a renunciation from the person ahead of them.
The name on the will, the name on the death certificate and the name on the application all have to be reconciled if they differ.
The checklist ends where the form begins. Once every box is ticked, one of three routes takes it from here.
The original will, the death certificate, the five values and the fee.
The form, section by section →The person most entitled applies, in the order the law sets.
The form, section by section →Full details to HMRC, then the code, then the probate application.
IHT400, section by section →Every UK probate form, with its current edition → the UK probate forms index · What an executor has to do, month by month → the blank executor checklist · The long-form reference → the Executor's Companion · Before a death, for the family → the death folder checklist